Hebrew word · H2659

חָפֵר

veyachperu

be ashamed

To be abashed, disgraced, put to shame. In the hiphil form used here it can mean 'be disgraced' or 'act shamefully, bring shame' (Proverbs 13:5; 19:26). This is a separate word from the more common ḥāpar, 'to dig'.

Appears 17 times in 17 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to be ashamed, be confounded, be abashed, feel abashed

1a) (Qal) to be ashamed, be abashed

1b) (Hiphil) to display shame, demonstrate shame, cause embarrassment

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 54:4

Range of meaning

To be abashed, disgraced, put to shame. In the hiphil form used here it can mean 'be disgraced' or 'act shamefully, bring shame' (Proverbs 13:5; 19:26). This is a separate word from the more common ḥāpar, 'to dig'.

Against the English

BSB 'humiliated', KJV 'put to shame', WEB 'disappointed', YLT 'confounded'. Each catches part of it. 'Disappointed' highlights failed expectation, which fits how it pairs with bôš.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 1:29; 24:23 (the moon 'abashed' before YHWH's glory); 33:9 (Lebanon 'abashed', withered); Psalm 35:4, 26; 40:14[15]; Jeremiah 50:12, always alongside bôš.

From the study of Isaiah 1:29

Range of meaning

To be abashed or confounded; to blush; to be disappointed when your hopes collapse. It almost always appears alongside bosh in the prophets and Psalms (Isa 24:23; Jer 15:9; Ps 35:4, 26; 40:15).

Against the English

The KJV's 'confounded' now suggests 'confused, puzzled' to most readers. In 1611 it meant 'put to shame, overthrown, discomfited'. 'Blush' (NRSV) and 'embarrassed' (BSB, NASB) catch the visible humiliation but can sound mild.

How it drifted

Over time 'confound' narrowed in English toward mental confusion ('confounded by the question'). The older sense of being brought to ruin or disgrace faded.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 24:23 says 'the moon will be abashed (chapherah) and the sun ashamed (boshah)', showing the same pairing used of heavenly bodies outshone. Ps 35:4 reads 'let them be put to shame and abashed who seek my life.' A different root with the same letters, H2658 chaphar, means 'dig' or 'search out'. The two are distinguished in standard lexicons (BDB, HALOT).

From the study of Proverbs 19:26

Range of meaning

To be abashed, embarrassed, disgraced. Hiphil: to bring disgrace, act disgracefully. It almost always appears beside bôš as its partner (Isa 1:29; 24:23; 54:4; Jer 15:9; Ps 34:5 [6]).

Against the English

'Disgrace' (BSB, NIV), 'reproach' (KJV, WEB, ESV), 'confusion' (YLT), 'public disgrace' (NLT). 'Reproach' is fine but sounds old-fashioned. 'Confusion' (YLT, following older usage) now misleads, because ḥāpēr is about being put to shame, not about being mentally confused.

How it drifted

Older English 'confusion' meant 'discomfiture, overthrow, shame' (compare KJV 'let them be confounded'). That sense has faded, so YLT's word now suggests mental bewilderment.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs 13:5 has the same Hiphil pair. Isaiah 54:4 ('you will not be ashamed… you will not be disgraced'). It is a separate root from ḥāpar I, 'to dig' (H2658).

Similar words

Where it appears

Job · 1

  1. Job 6:20 וַיֶּחְפָּֽרוּ׃ and they were disappointed

    They are confounded because they had hoped; their arrival brings disappointment.

Psalms · 7

  1. Psalm 34:5 יֶחְפָּֽרוּ׃ they be abashed

    Those who look to Him are radiant with joy; their faces shall never be ashamed.

    Here: The flushed, humiliated look of someone whose hope has collapsed in front of others. It is the shame of being let down, not mainly an inner sense of guilt.

  2. Psalm 35:4 וְיַחְפְּר֑וּ and may they be abashed

    May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.

    Here: "And may they be abashed." A companion word to bosh, often paired with it: the dismay of people whose confident plans have come to nothing.

  3. Psalm 35:26 וְיַחְפְּר֨וּ׀ and they may be abashed

    May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.

    Here: 'And may they be abashed': the red-faced embarrassment of someone whose expectation came to nothing. It is the standard partner of bôsh and makes it stronger.

  4. Psalm 40:14 וְיַחְפְּר֨וּ׀ and they may be abashed

    May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.

    Here: 'And may they be abashed,' meaning embarrassed and left red-faced. It is paired with bosh, and the two together make one strong picture of humiliating failure.

  5. Psalm 70:2 וְיַחְפְּרוּ֮ and they may be abashed

    May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.

    Here: 'And may they be abashed.' A near-synonym of bosh. It often goes with it to describe the red-faced dismay of people whose plans have come to nothing (compare Isa 1:29; Jer 15:9).

  6. Psalm 71:24 חָ֝פְר֗וּ they are abashed

    My tongue will indeed proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded.

    Here: This pairs with 'shamed'. It adds the picture of humiliation that shows on the face and of hopes that came to nothing. This too is a completed form.

  7. Psalm 83:17 וְֽיַחְפְּר֥וּ and may they be abashed

    May they be ever ashamed and terrified; may they perish in disgrace.

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 13:5 וְיַחְפִּֽיר׃ and he may act shamefully

    The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace.

    Here: 'And he brings disgrace,' or 'and acts disgracefully.' This verb is often paired with 'shame' for public humiliation and loss of face. Here it completes the picture: where the wicked person goes, stench and disgrace follow, for himself and for those around him.

  2. Proverbs 19:26 וּמַחְפִּֽיר׃ and [who] causes shame

    He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

    Here: 'And disgracing': the usual partner of bôš in Hebrew poetry, used to strengthen it. Together the two words give one heavy verdict of complete, public humiliation. This root (ḥ-p-r II, 'be ashamed') is a different word from the identical-looking ḥ-p-r I, 'to dig'.

Isaiah · 4

  1. Isaiah 1:29 וְתַ֨חְפְּר֔וּ and you may be abashed

    Surely you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted; you will be embarrassed by the gardens that you have chosen.

    Here: 'And you will be abashed.' This is the regular partner of 'be ashamed': the red-faced humiliation of people whose hopes have collapsed in public. Do not confuse it with the different verb that sounds the same and means 'dig'.

  2. Isaiah 24:23 וְחָֽפְרָה֙ and it will be abashed

    The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.

    Here: The shame of being shown up, losing face in public. The 'and' plus the verb form points to the future: 'and the moon will be abashed'. The moon is pictured as a person who loses face.

  3. Isaiah 33:9 הֶחְפִּ֥יר it has displayed shame

    The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and decayed. Sharon is like a desert; Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.

    Here: A causative/stative form: Lebanon 'shows shame', meaning it stands publicly humiliated. Its glory has failed in plain sight. The idea is public disgrace and dashed expectation, not inner guilt.

  4. Isaiah 54:4 תַחְפִּ֑ירִי you will display shame

    Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; do not be intimidated, for you will not be humiliated. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

    Here: A rarer shame word: to be left abashed, publicly disgraced or discredited (compare Isaiah 1:29; 24:23). It completes a run of three shame words, piling up the full weight of public disgrace before ruling it out.

Jeremiah · 2

  1. Jeremiah 15:9 וְחָפֵ֑רָה and she is abashed

    The mother of seven will grow faint; she will breathe her last breath. Her sun will set while it is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated. And the rest I will put to the sword in the presence of their enemies,” declares the LORD.

  2. Jeremiah 50:12 חָפְרָ֖ה she will be abashed

    your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who bore you will be disgraced. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 3:7 וְחָֽפְרוּ֙ and they will be abashed

    Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.